I'd like to make a special thank you to liseyann and temple deer for making the effort to let me know what they think of this story. You guys have no idea how much it means :-)

I would also like to thank those who got my 145 reads so far, it means a lot to see the number of reads increase each time I come online but reading a review gives a writer so much more of buzz, that someone has taken time to write to you, about your story. Sooo please take the time because I so read them all and I do respond to each and every one.

Anyway on with the story Chapter 3

Dark Crys
xoxo

P.S. I own the plot alone nothing more nothing less.

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Chapter 3
~*More Than A Little Tense*~

The next day, both Hermione and Ginny were early to breakfast due to McGonagall’s alarm going off at an ungodly hour. Hermione found that by having many older brothers you can learn a large amount of interesting words when annoyed. In other words Ginny could put even Ron to shame at the words that came out of her mouth that morning.

So Hermione and Ginny were halfway through their breakfast and were starting on some homework by the time some of the first stragglers crawled into the Great Hall. They were well and truly finished by the time Harry and Ron walked in they were shocked to see them up.

“Hey where did you to go last night? You never came into the Common Room last night.” Harry said as he piled his plate high with bacon, sausages and eggs.

“Ah…” Hermione started looking at Ginny who smiled, “Well I got called to Dumbledore’s office on our way back to the Common Room and Ginny came with me.” Hermione said reading over a page of notes she had made the Friday before.

“So what did Dumbledore want?” Harry and Ron asked at the same time.

“I got offered to be a Personal Assistant to McGonagall.” Hermione said with a smile.

“What? What do you mean?” Ron asked.

“It means that I work with McGonagall a lot of the time. I’ve also been moved into a room all to myself in her private rooms. She’s different outside of school hours. Kind of strange,” Hermione added the last as an afterthought then shrugged.

“Wow, that’s great Hermione.” Harry said with a large smile. “Don’t you think Ron?”

Suddenly Hermione realized that Ron hadn’t spoken much since he had sat down.

“Yeah, that’s great.” Ron said and shoved some bacon into his mouth.

“Thanks guys.” Hermione said with a smile. “McGonagall said that you can come and visit if you really wanted. As long as it’s at a reasonable hour… of course…” Hermione said with a grin at the boys.

Ginny smiled and glanced down at her watch. “Hey Hermione, I’d better go. I’ve got to stop by my room to pick up my books before classes start. I’ll see you at lunch.” Ginny said standing then turning to the boys, “See you later.”

“Hang on a moment Ginny, I’ll come with you.” Harry said before shoving some more eggs into his mouth then picking up a couple of pieces of toast before running out of the Great Hall after her.

“I’ve never seen him like this before.” Hermione said shaking her head with amusement.

“Yeah, he doesn’t really talk about them,” Ron said with a frown. “Does she talk to you about them?”

“Yeah, she does. But I’m sure that Harry’s just unsure of how you would act if he started talking about your sister… you know.” Hermione said with a smile at the grimace on his face.

“Good point.” Ron said and glanced at Hermione, then quickly went back to his food.

“You got your books?” Hermione asked, trying to make convocation.

“Yeah,” Ron said picking up his back pack from his feet. “Got potions for the double this morning, it’s going to be hell. I swear Slughorn is much worse than Snape.”Ron grumbled as he shook his head.

“At least he doesn’t just favour the Slytherin’s.” Hermione offered.

“Yeah, but he still picks favourites. I thought teachers weren’t supposed to do that.”

“I don’t think they are supposed to. I think every teacher has a favourite, it’s just Slughorn makes it known to everyone who his favourites are.” Hermione said nibbling on a corner of a piece of toast as that was all she was game enough to put in her mouth at that point.

Ron shrugged. “So you really want to do this personal assistant thing huh.” Ron said after a moment.

Hermione looked at him to find him staring at her. “Yeah… I am. I think it might be good for me.” Hermione said with a small smile, but didn’t exactly meet his eyes.

“Good. You’re happy with the whole arrangement, right?” Ron said and gave an unsure smile when she nodded. “So who am I going to get to help me with my essays now?” Ron asked with a lopsided grin.

“Well I guess I’ll come and visit sometimes. I’m not far away. Plus you can come and hang out down at my new room.” Hermione said with a smile. “McGonagall would be impressed with the hard work you actually put in if we studied in the small Common Room we share.” Hermione said laughing.

“Yeah, like that’s going to happen.” Ron said laughing with her.

Harry and Ginny walking into the Great Hall hand in hand to find Ron and Hermione laughing together. “I guess their getting over their differences.” Harry said with a smile.

Ginny just shook her head. “They can talk and all that, we know that. They just won’t look each other in the eye.” Ginny said sadly.

“Yeah, I want to know what the hell happened, Ron won’t say a word. Did Hermione say anything to you?”

Ginny just shook her head. Harry saw the sad look on her face and took it as she didn’t like her brother and Hermione acting like this. Not as what it really was, that she was thinking as to how the next 12 months were going to be like. If anything Ginny knew they were going to be difficult.

“Hey, I’ll see you at lunch.” Ginny said looking at her watch, “I’ve got to head off, I’ve got Divinations in the North Tower, and it’ll take me forever to get there.” Ginny said smiling, and quickly kissing Harry on the cheek before heading off.

Harry headed over to Hermione and Ron, “Hey guys we had better get going.” Harry said and the pair both stood and slung their bags over their shoulders.

Hermione glanced behind her to find McGonagall watching her. Hermione smiled and nodded. McGonagall smiled and went back to her breakfast. “Are you coming Hermione?” Harry asked, looking back at Hermione.

“Yeah, coming,” Hermione said jogging to catch up with them.

~!~@~!~

After classes that day, Hermione showed Harry and Ron her new room. She sat on the bed smiling at Harry and Ron look over the fire place and finally find the bathroom and protested loudly that she got one all to her herself.

“Wow, Hermione, you got it made here.” Harry said taking the chair at the desk in the corner.

“Yeah, I think this whole thing might give me a bit of a leg up to the Head Girl position.” Hermione said hopefully.

“Get off it Hermione.” Ron said with a grin. “You don’t need a leg up. You’re the brightest witch in our year. You’re a shoe in for the position. It’s the rest of us common folk that need the leg up.” Ron said teasingly, and leaned against the door jam of the bathroom.

“So Harry…” Hermione said with a smile, “How was Ginny today? I only saw her at breakfast, even though she said she would see us I had to work in the library.”

“She’s good.” Harry said his neck looking more than a little pink.

Ron coughed covering a laugh. “Sure she is.” Ron said clearing his throat making Hermione laugh.

“Well at least, I’ve got the guts to tell the girl I like that I like her, unlike someone else I know.” Harry said sweetly looking in Ron direction who gave him a very dark glare.

There was a knock on the door and Hermione called out for them to come in. McGonagall opened the door to find all three of them lazing around the room. “Good afternoon, Miss Granger, Mr Potter and Mr Weasley. I heard laughing, and I just wanted to let you know that you are able to use the Common Room, these rooms aren’t exactly meant for a group of people.”

“Thank you Professor. I was just showing the boys my new room.” Hermione said with a smile.

“Yes,” McGonagall smiled, “I can see. Just remember that you get back to Gryffindor Common Room before curfew.”

“Yes Professor.” Harry and Ron said with a smile. McGonagall left the room and closed the door behind her.

“Well that is not the Professor McGonagall that I know.” Ron said shaking his head.

“Hey, we had better get back to the Common Room. We have some work that needs to get done.” Harry said, even though he looked like he would rather stay exactly where he was. “We’ll see you at dinner.”

“Yeah,” Hermione said getting off the bed and seeing the boy’s out. When the boy’s had left Hermione headed into her room and got her books for studying and she made herself comfortable on the rug in front of the fire in the Common Room.

Hermione murmured to herself as she went over the notes made for the potions essay that Slughorn had set that morning. Hermione had just finished her potions essay and was reading over it when Professor McGonagall walked out of her room on her way to dinner.

“Hermione,” Professor McGonagall said startled. “I didn’t know you were still here.”

Hermione’s head came up and she smiled. “Yeah, just finished the essay Professor Slughorn set for us this morning.”

“You're doing an essay that you were given this morning? When is it due?” Professor McGonagall asked curiously.

“Ah… Hermione picked up her homework diary and looked for the date. “Not for a week yet” Hermione said, “Why?”

“It’s just… I don’t think I’ve ever known a student to do that.”

Hermione laughed. “Well it helps me stay on top of all my subjects. Plus it’s good to do them while it’s all still fresh in your mind.”

“So you do that with all your subjects?”

“Yes. I do them pretty much the night I’m given them, and then I put them in a folder until the due date.” Hermione said as if it made perfect sense. And truthfully it did, it’s just hard to believe that some people actually do things like that.

Professor McGonagall nodded, “Well I was just heading down to dinner, would you like to join me?”

“Ah… sure…” Hermione said standing up stretching the kinks out of her back and legs from sitting in the same position for the past couple of hours.

They walked slowly towards the Great Hall side by side, “So do you have any other homework for tonight?” Professor McGonagall asked curiously.

“Ah… no amazingly enough… I mean the Professors didn’t really set anything. Well they kind of did, it was more along the lines of what you don’t finish in class you do for homework. So I finished it in class so that I could have some free time tonight.” Hermione said, with a smile.

“You’ve perfected how you get everything done haven’t you?”

“Oh yes, At least I know that it’s done and out of the way. Then I don’t have to worry about it. Plus I’ve got enough to worry about at the moment. I don’t need school becoming too much of a problem.” Hermione said with a now weak smile.

Professor McGonagall nodded in understanding. “Also… if you need to talk about anything or help with anything at all… that was part of the deal when you moved in. Not only so that I was there if something were to go wrong. But also for support.” Professor McGonagall said a little unsure of how she was wording it.

“Thank you.” Hermione said softly, Professor McGonagall turned her head to see Hermione smiling softly in gratitude. “I think I’m going to need all the help I can get.”

“How about tonight we talk over the details of what is going to happen this year?”

“Okay, I have a free night.” Hermione said with a cheeky smile.

Professor McGonagall thought that she was going to learn a great deal about the real Hermione Granger the person. Not only the student.

~!~@~!~

Dinner had been quiet uneventful, Hermione took her usual seat with Ginny, Harry and Ron. But to Ron astonishment, Hermione ate a great deal more than she usually would. Ginny sat grinning into her pumpkin juice and Harry just seemed to be oblivious of everything around him.

Once back in the Common Room, Hermione went to her room and changed out of her school robes and into her comfortable and baggy pyjamas and curled up on an arm chair in front of the fire.

“Would you like something to drink?” Professor McGonagall asked as she walked into the room.

“Ah… not right now thanks. I’m full from dinner.” Hermione said with a grin.

Professor McGonagall nodded. “So when did you find out about the baby?” Professor McGonagall asked right out.

Hermione was taken aback for a moment then relaxed. “Saturday, I had started to throw up for no reason at all a couple of days before, so I went to see Madam Pomfrey, who told me.”

“Then last night you went to see Professor Dumbledore.” Professor McGonagall said taking a seat in the arm chair across from Hermione, and tucked her feet up under her bottom.

“Does anyone know who the father is?” Professor McGonagall asked,

“Only Ginny and myself,”

Professor McGonagall nodded. “Are you going to tell anybody else who he his?”

“Well… I don’t plan on… I want him to know before anybody else, but that may not be possible when the child is born. The baby may look just like its father.” Hermione said weakly.

They were quiet for a moment before Professor McGonagall asked, “I’m just curious, but I noticed things are more than a little tense between yourself and Ronald Weasley.”

“Ah… You noticed that huh?” Hermione asked weakly, and grimaced at Professor McGonagall’s nod. “Yeah, it is kind of strained between the two of us, and well we haven’t told anyone why…”

“Just put it down to him being a teenage boy. I’ve found some of them incredibly hard to understand at times.” Professor McGonagall said with a small smile as she took a sip from her goblet.

“Ah… I think maybe you are too observant.” Hermione said with a smile.

“So you are not going to tell anybody you are pregnant at all.” Professor McGonagall asked

“I know that I’m going to need support and help this year, and most of all next year, but… I don’t know… need to keep this unknown to people, otherwise someone is going to let something slip before I get the chance to tell the father myself.”

Professor McGonagall nodded, “We’ll know not to talk about it when there are others around so you have no need to worry. Our lips are sealed.” Hermione smiled as she watched the older woman run her fingers across her lips as if to do up a zip.